National health assembly 2003 : A reform mechanism and movement in practice

Abstract:

Research Title National health assembly 2003: A reform mechanism and movement in practiceResearcher Suvajee GoodFunding Health Systems Research InstituteYear [2003]AbstractThis study tried to capture the process of health reform mechanism through the organization of the National Health Assembly that appeared in August, 2003. National Health Assembly is a special event that emerged collaborate efforts to bring different groups of stakeholders together to exchange their ideas, sharing of experiences, and learn from each other on different issues that influence their health, livelihood, and quality of life in general. The assembly was launched for the first time last year and expected to continue every year, once a year, according to the new National Health Bill, if the bill become enacted. The First year assembly was a good platform for drafting the National Health Bill. In this Second year, it became more of a social platform for learning, sharing, and created general awareness of what could affect the live of the people. It is important to recognize the assembly as the main “reform mechanism” to bring people participation into the health system and broaden up the health system into a more holistic approach, wider than the institutional public health system or health sector reform in general.The study recorded the process of the assembly and analyze the context that would bring reformation in to practice, particularly the idea of “prevention before cure” or health promotion. In this platform the assembly was an attempt to make practical appearance of different health dimensions: physical, mental, social, and spiritual. Organizers and people participated in the process found their own creative / or few innovative ways to express what they think as means to promoting health from physical, mental, social, and spiritual perspectives. The efforts may not be all perfect, but they generate a great interest for people to learn from each other in the process of the meeting. The process was far more general or ordinary kind of meeting. It has more sentimental movement, symbolic activities, and compassionate deliberations. People participating in the assembly are diverse in their roles and functions. The whole process show different way of exchange ideas, shared experience and proposed a policy change. An important output of this assembly is to bring recommendation for policy changes in various areas that affect people health such as agriculture, food production, environmental public policy, local wisdom and knowledge, etc. Other outputs include providing interactions and deliberative platform for people from various backgrounds, strengthening people health organization, capacity-building of people health education and advocacy, and create general awareness to politicians, academics, and the public who has little chance to be involve in health promoting scheme.The Assembly is also function as “reform representatives” that practically present different ways of looking at ‘health.’ It also display how health could be one of the people ‘rights’ particularly ‘right to health’ rather than just health care services. It demands community and society to create healthy environment (physical and social) and healthy public policy. The process of health assembly could generate health conscious among people in different occupations whether in medicine, in business, in agriculture, or in policy making. Therefore the assembly could function and display this practicality of the overall health reform which makes it a unique platform for the meeting unlike other kinds of gathering. Resolutions that come out from the people and organized working group are useful for further policy implementation.